Chapter 44: Strange Grief Wants to Retire ~ The Weakest Hunterâs Hero Dream Chapter 44 \n44 çœçŠăźæș The Source of Disaster\n
With itâs whole body frozen white, the pseudo-slime let out a garbled scream. Itâs body was only about a third of itâs original size. Sven and the others had continually attacked together, and after shaving it down little by little this was the result.
In front of the White Wolves Den, a disastrous scene had spread out. Because of the force field the pseudo-slime was enclosed in, scores of trees had fallen down and there were places in the ground that were gouged out. But there were no longer signs of the pseudo-slimeâs former agile movement.
It was proof that the monster thought to be invulnerable was on the verge of death.
The pseudo-slime looked warily around at the distant hunters encircling itâs surroundings in a long unbroken line. It rubbed itâs body against the ground creating a grating noise.
Gark breathed roughly as he turned the tip of his ăBlizzard War Fangă towards the pseudo-slime.
âHaa, haa, âŠat last, itâs movements have slowedâŠâ
His outward appearance showed no wounds, but from his eyes and figure there was likely accumulated non visible damage. He had a bitter expression consisting of pain and perseverance.
Few others apart from Gark could be take the Slimeâs attacks. They could ward away one off attacks, but it mostly only made time for Gark to regain his posture. And more importantly, there was no person that could substitute for the ăBlizzard War Fangă that could damage the slime with just a touch.
Gark received a potion from the hunter next to him to heal his injuries, and drank it in one shot.
But the flow had already been determined. As long as the pseudo-slime didnât have any hidden moves, Sven and the others wouldnât be defeated.
When it was frozen it could be injured by Svenâs arrows. The pseudo-slime with itâs whole body frozen made a good target. However, Sven didnât let himself relax, and shouted to the others.
âDonât get careless! This is one of Infinite Varieties trials! Watch your surroundings, it wouldnât be strange if two or three more like this guy appears!â
âIâm already doing so!â
âY-You all, up to now just what the hellâŠâ
A member of Footprints answered Sven. As they said, some of the members of Footprints had shifted their vigilance from the slime to the forest under the veil of darkness. Garkâs eyes twitched as they watched a situation that seemed familiar somewhere.
Sven said nothing more, and aiming at the pseudo-slime he greatly drew back an arrow. As if feeling the threat, the pseudo-slime attempted to escape, but while it was frozen itâs movements were hindered and itâs speed was a shadow of itâs former self.
ââŠThis is, the end!â
And, no matter how much fatigue had built up, Svenâs aim wasnât bad enough to miss from merely a number of meters away.
He breathed a small breath, put everything into his arrow and gave a shout. And then, he released the jet black arrow. The pseudo-slime could barely move. The sharp pointed metal arrow flew at the speed of lightning and pierced the center of the pseudo-slime, nailing it to the ground. The power the arrow was loaded with shook the ground on impact.
The vibrations calmed down. The body of the pseudo-slime was skewered through the middle. The frozen body cracked. Was the depths of the interior already frozen over? There was no indication that the threatening mana barrier was functioning.
Until the end the pseudo-slime remained with itâs emotionless eyes turned toward Sven, who remained at the ready.
And without anything unexpected, it broke into fragments and vanished like the phantom it was by nature.
§
Sven knew from experience that the hand of death would fall on those that let their guard down.\n
He swiftly checked over the situation. Many heavily wounded. One person that had lost their arms. They had continually focused during a battle that had drawn out for about an hour. They had built up a lot of fatigue, but there were no casualties. Everyone that had joined for the investigation into the White Wolves Den could return home safely.
Plunking down on the ground, Gark breathed a silent sigh. The two unfit examiners were also unable to stand and sat with haggard expressions.
âWell, that was an unexpected monster⊠how did it become like that⊠was it⊠a phantom?â
âDamn it. This is exactly why I hate coming along. This job would have just been better being slandered as incompetent.â
One of the examiners spoke without any force. Maybe those words were what everybody was also thinking.
The pseudo-slime had definitely been strong. They had somehow found out how to defeat it and carried it out. The main thing was that it had been a complete unknown. A slime that could create a mana barrier was unheard of. In the first place, as the older examiner had said, the chances of a slime appearing there were close to none.
The members of the same clan sat together worn out. Sven looked at the hunters that had grave faces despite returning alive, and raised his voice.
He couldnât stop thinking about it. Always continue to plan countermeasures. Itâs something Sven felt many times since joining First Step, the know how to survive.
âIâd say, that slime thing⊠is probably related to the shrine abnormality. Itâs too much of a coincidence.â
In the end the investigation into the interior of the shrine didnât turn up anything. The sole remaining lead was the pseudo-slime.
Marietta, who had completely exhausted her mana from the continuous use of attack magic sighed deeply.
âYeah thatâs true. If it was just the levels of the Phantoms being raised it would be ok, but this might make things worse.â
At those words everyoneâs expressions clouded over further. They all understood the severity of the circumstances. Extreme mana exhaustion. Built up fatigue. Some injured. Although they understood how to defeat them, if another similar slime appeared it would be trouble.
However, abandoning the area and returning home involved a high risk. Those were Svenâs thoughts.
They managed to defeat the pseudo-slime because they were the elite. They were prepared, resolved, and well coordinated high level hunters. This is how they confronted the pseudo slime, but if it was the knights of the third order that kept order around the Imperial Capital there would be a great amount of damage.
The third order of knights were highly trained and frequently absorbed mana material. They had high power and were by no means weak, but they were much less of a match compared to hunters that were used to the various gimmicks within shrines. Using a method of brute force against an enemy like the pseudo-slime was a hopeless approach.
With time they may also notice itâs weakness, but it was doubtful they could hold their ground until then.
âWe should be able to tell where it came from⊠if we do it now there should still be tracks remaining. There shouldnât be that many. If there were, the forest wouldnât still be so quiet.â
To Svenâs words, Gark scowled and let out a low groan. He must have be thinking of the trouble this would make for the Explorers.
The details of the request only concerned the interior of the shrine. If traces were found outside the shrine, then the information should be brought back. But there was no obligation for them to jump straight into danger. If they returned now their reputation may suffer, but there would be no charges held against them.
At that time, the sitting brown haired hunter looking down at his lost arms stunned, raised his face. He was the man that had suffered the most harm in this matter. The impacts of his arms were needless to say as a hunter, this would impede his everyday life.
The voice that came out was hoarse.
ââŠanyway, do you think there are still more?â
ââŠThe likelihood is low. But, any of the members here should be able to deal with it without a problem. That slime doesnât have the power to wipe out a party in an instant. Even if we separate up to search, we can still run away.â\nThe hunters exchanged glances with each other. Fear. Exhaustion. Some of the members of Footprints had bitter smiles. They were probably muttering silent complaints to the Master in their thoughts.
Sven also sympathised with the difficulty of the one thousand tribulations. Certainly the pseudo-slime was a powerful and unknown enemy, but still the degree of difficulty was low compared to how they had been treated in the past. Being able to pinpoint the weakness by sending Gark, could only be said to be something indescribable, but he didnât think there was a need for close to one hundred hunters to be there.
In other words, the tribulations still hadnât ended. If that was the case, they should proceed on. To Sven and the others the options could not be seen as equal.
âItâs fine if you choose to retreat⊠but nothing good will be waiting. You lot, you might be attacked on the way right?â
ââŠâŠâ
âThe ones that want to return can do so. We will⊠continue.â
The attacks of the pseudo-slime were simple but powerful. Even a tough hunter wouldnât be safe if they took a blow in a vulnerable area. He waited for a moment, but there were no objections. Naturally none were raised from the members of Footprints, but the outside hunters also remained silent. The appearance of the pseudo-slime may have added credibility to his words.
There was an excess of personnel remaining. They could divide into individual parties and thoroughly search the nearby area. It wouldnât take long.
Deep in the forest, the direction the slime came in could be seen. There was enough light provided by the floating magic sources, but the quiet forest enveloped in darkness instilled indescribable fear.
It would be better if they hurried. All of a sudden following his instincts, Sven stood up.
§
Advancing through the forest. The pseudo-slime had the nature to indiscriminately destroy anything it touched. The viscous body had been made from Mana Material and there was nothing like a trail of mucous left over. But it wasnât difficult to track by following the various trees that had split open or fallen on the ground.
Svenâs group consisted of Iron Cross, Gark carrying his halberd, the two examiners, and the brown haired hunter that had lost his arms and his party. The other parties had spread out, checking whether there were additional slimes in the area.
The brown haired hunter steadily gazed at Sven as he moved at a quick pace. Sven cleared away the thickets with his short sword as he spoke.
âThe manifestation of ăPrism Gardenă was hell. This wasnât much compared to that.â
ââŠcompared to this, huh.â
He gave a small nod without speaking.
The ăCherry Blossom Viewing Incidentă was a topic still passed down within the clan, as it was an opportunity to rewrite the commonsense of hunters of Footprints. While carefully following the tracks, he continued.
âThe opponent this time⊠was a phantom, but the opponent back then, was the ăenvironmentă.â
ăPrism Gardenă (Kanji: Chalk Garden) was the name of a beautiful shrine with countless flowers blooming in profusion. However, itâs true nature was a hell incomparable to the likes of the White Wolves Den. Even now, Sven sometimes dreamed of it.
âIt was pollen. It had a sleeping effect. A few seconds after the shrine appeared, half the members of Footprints fainted.â
Originally the location was a field of flowers. Suddenly altered by Mana Material, petals and pollen soared from a sea of blooming flowers. Like itâs name it had a chalky texture, and it held the property of inducing severe drowsiness in those that inhaled or touched it. Powerful enough to make a hunter with a honed mind faint in seconds.
There were several shrines that were even further apart from the standard classifications. Among them, ăPrism Gardenă had an environment that was a high hurdle for hunters on itâs own, and was categorised as an ăEnvironment typeă shrine.
âIt seems that the changes in the Earth Veins were quite large. The surrounding area transformed quickly. People fainted before being able to understand what was happening. Besides drowsiness, there was also paralysis and poison. And of course â there were carnivorous plants and beasts adapted to the environment as phantoms. ăPrism Gardenă is like a trap where the whole shrine is lying in wait for hunters.â\n\nâPredictions, predictions, huhâŠâ
Cry Andoric was a genius. He wasnât a god, but a person that made moves like a god. This time as well, he had guided Gark here as a trump card against the pseudo-slime. Even for Sven who had a long relationship with him, he didnât know the truth behind Cryâs foreknowledge.
However, there should have been some meaning in the amount of people sent. Cry hated pointless waste. The lineup hadnât simply been for defeating the slime.
At that moment, timid of his surroundings, Henrik called out.
He handed across a large piece of metal. It had a curved shape. It wasnât very old, without any rust it gave a dull shine. It was solid enough to be used as armour, but it was destroyed as if it was twisted in half.
The other members also handed over pieces of metal newly discovered. They seemed to be scattered across the vicinity. Some of them were thick chains. Looking at the collected pieces of metal, Garkâs expression became severe in the blink of an eye.
They were simple shapes. They arranged them to match in the way they were destroyed.
âOi oi, this is â â
ââŠhandcuffs and⊠a collar?
The completed shapes were five solid rings. Huge handcuffs, shackles, and a collar. There were some fragments missing, but there was no doubt.
The size clearly wasnât for restraining a human.
The expressions of the two examiners had changed. The earlier fatigue was forgotten as they touched the different parts. Sensing the feeling of dread, Sven held his tongue. The two whispered as if to hide their voices.
âIt canât be⊠shackles and handcuffs? A phantom could be restrained with these but-â
ââŠThis is crazy. I thought it was an unknown phantom but -â
âIt needs to be reported right?â
âObviously. Itâs one of the ten sins!? It would be a crime to conceal it. Damn it, Infinite Variety, such an absurd thing is-â
Grave voices. They couldnât stay calm concerning a crime. The two who seemed to know something, had understood this was more of an emergency than they thought.
The ten sins were the most serious crimes under Zebrudia law. Equal to crimes such as rebelling against the Emperor, or attempting to overthrow the country. It wasnât something you would hear about any other day.
In relation to Treasure Hunters the ăSin of Liberationă was the most famous, involving freeing transcendent beings that were sealed deep within shrines. But that likely wasnât the case here. To put a transcendent existence into words, it was ăa being as close to a God as possibleă. As one would think, that didnât apply to the pseudo-slime. And if something was released, there would be no way Infinite Variety wouldnât come.
Eventually the older examiner raised his head. He didnât give a detailed explanation, but he talked to Gark quickly.
âBranch chief, the circumstances have changed. There is a possibility someone released that Phantom, it needs to be reported immediately.â
At that moment, the sharp sound of a whistle interrupted their words.